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Pompeo declares that US no longer considers Hong Kong as autonomous from China, threatening trade relations

Tucker Higgins
CNBC
Wed, 27 May 2020 21:24 UTC
pompeo
© Kevin Lamarque / AP
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reported to Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China, a move that could jeopardize the special administrative region's favorable trade relationship with the U.S. and open up Chinese officials to sanctions.

The State Department was required to issue a determination on Hong Kong's autonomy under pro-democracy legislation passed late last year. The law also requires the president to impose sanctions on foreigners who undermine "fundamental freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong."

Pompeo's move comes amid a controversy in Hong Kong over a proposed national security law from Beijing that has spurred protests in the streets of the former British colony.

The proposed law from China's National People's Congress would effectively bypass Hong Kong's own legislature and targets acts of sedition against the central government in Beijing. Fears over China's encroachment on the business center's independence have roiled the region for months and contributed to sending Hong Kong's economy into recession last year.
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Book 2

New book claims Bill Clinton had an affair with Ghislaine Maxwell

Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper
New York Post
Wed, 27 May 2020 19:25 UTC
Bill Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell
© BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images; Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Bill Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell
Bill Clinton had an affair with British-born socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of helping recruit underage victims for notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to a blockbuster new book.

The ex-president — who denies cheating on wife Hillary Clinton with Maxwell — reportedly engaged in the romps during overseas trips on Epstein's private plane, a customized Boeing 727 that's since become known as the "Lolita Express."

The nation's 42nd head of state also repeatedly sneaked out to visit Maxwell at her Upper East Side townhouse, as detailed in this exclusive excerpt.

Excerpt from "A Convenient Death: The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein," by Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper, out June 2

Clinton was allegedly carrying on an affair with at least one woman in Epstein's orbit, but she was well over the age of consent.

Ghislaine Maxwell, a constant presence at the ex- president's side during these trips, was the primary reason Clinton let Epstein ferry him around the world.

Comment: Possible, but unlikely to be the whole story of Clinton's involvement with Epstein and Maxwell:

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Chess

Pentagon watchdog Glenn Fine resigns after being sidelined by Trump

Maya King
Poiltico
Tue, 26 May 2020 17:55 UTC
Glenn Fine
© Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo
Glenn Fine
Glenn Fine, who was ousted last month as the Pentagon's acting watchdog by President Donald Trump, has resigned from the Defense Department inspector general's office in the latest of a series of departures across the executive branch.

Fine, who was the principal deputy inspector general, announced his resignation in a statement Tuesday extolling the importance of independent watchdogs.

"The role of Inspectors General is a strength of our system of government," Fine said. "They provide independent oversight to help improve government operations in a transparent way. They are a vital component of our system of checks and balances, and I am grateful to have been part of that system.

"After many years in the DoJ and DoD OIGs, I believe the time has come for me to step down and allow others to perform this vital role," he added. "I wish the men and women of the DoD OIG and the Inspector General Community continued success in these important responsibilities."

Comment: It appears Trump is continuing to clean house as the opportunity arises. Breitbart reports:
The removal of Fine last month from the accountability committee and the acting inspector general role has been seen as part of larger set of removals of inspectors general in a short time.

On Friday, House Democrats introduced legislation to protect inspectors general from retaliation after Trump fired five watchdogs within a few months.

Earlier this month, Trump fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick upon Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's request after he began an investigation into allegations that Pompeo had an aide run personal errands for him. Pompeo told The Washington Post that he had asked Trump to fire him, but said that it was not a retaliatory move because he did not know about the probe beforehand.

Critics said the move was also to shield Pompeo from other potential political harm. The issue involving Pompeo included efforts to fast-track a Saudi arms deal along with using the staffer for personal errands, CNN, NBC News and USA Today reported.

After firing Linick, the Trump administration also ousted Mitchell Behm as acting Transportation Department inspector general the next day, prompting an investigation by House Democrats.

Also, this month, Trump moved to replace another watchdog in the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump removed Christi Grimm as principal inspector after her office issued a report in April, finding "severe shortages" of COVID-19 testing kits, frequent testing delays of seven days or longer, along with "widespread shortages" of proper protective equipment in hospitals.

Last month, Trump fired intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who told lawmakers about the whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment inquiry. The House voted to impeach Trump on Dec. 18, but the majority of the Senate voted to acquit him in February.
Trump removes Obama-era IG from Covid-19 relief watchdog panel as Dems cry corruption

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Chess

Much ado about nothing: Hungary set to rescind rule-by-decree powers given to MSM-dubbed 'Dictator Orban'


RT
Wed, 27 May 2020 18:54 UTC
Viktor Orban
© AFP / Andrej Isakovic
Hungary PM Viktor Orban
Hungary's government will submit legislation to remove emergency powers granted to PM Viktor Orban, which set off hysterical reactions from EU officials and Western media which warned the country was sliding into "dictatorship."

Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Tuesday she would bring legislation to parliament on June 20 to end the state of emergency which has allowed Orban to rule by decree during the Covid-19 crisis.

Varga slammed those who "attacked us with unjust political accusations" and called on them to apologize for leading a "slander campaign" against the country.

Orban himself demanded apologies earlier this month, saying there was "no basis for the criticisms." Varga also slammed the opposition, which refused to support what they viewed as a power grab as there was no sunset clause embedded in the emergency legislation.
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Dominoes

As deadline passes, Afghan cease-fire appears to be holding


RFE/RL
Wed, 27 May 2020 18:37 UTC
afghan military
Even though calls for the Taliban to prolong a cease-fire with the Afghan government have gone unanswered so far, there have been no signs of renewed fighting and the militants say they will release more prisoners.

A Taliban-declared three-day lull in fighting, which ended on May 26, provided a rare break from the violence, prompting the government to call on the militants to extend the cease-fire so long-delayed peace talks could begin.

Amid the cease-fire, Afghan authorities released some 1,000 Taliban prisoners -- part of a pledge by the government to free up to 2,000 militants in response to the Taliban's cease-fire move.

A senior member of the Taliban on May 27 told the AFP news agency that the militants were planning to free about 50 to 100 Afghan security force members as early as May 28.
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Magnify

New evidence of US ties to terrorists in the Middle East

Valery Kulikov
New Eastern Outlook
Wed, 27 May 2020 18:22 UTC
guns in the air
Globally, it is widely believed that the United States tends to use terrorist organizations as hired guns in order to pursue its own interests all over the world. Since September 11, 2001, the White House has been implementing its expansionist policies, under the guise of the 'War on Terror', to seize natural resources and riches of other nations. And this was especially evident after the US interventions in Libya in 2011 and then Syria, and Washington's actions in Afghanistan and the entire Middle Eastern region.

The sheer length of the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington's inability to achieve its desired goals all point to the true motives behind the US 'War on Terror'. At first, the United States and its allies decided to use al-Qaeda (terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) to destabilize the situation in the region and overthrow legitimate governments there. Then, after the plan failed, the US helped establish the Islamic State (also known as IS, ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation), which was to be used as a direct means of intervening in the region.
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Snakes in Suits

'Do what I say, not what I do': Hypocritical Irish PM tells his people not to picnic during lockdown, then sunbathes bare-chested while picnicking

Jason O'Toole
RT
Tue, 26 May 2020 18:12 UTC
Leo Varadkar
© AFP / Paul Faith
Leo Varadkar, Ireland's Prime Minister
In his latest PR blunder, and ignoring his own government's Covid-19 advice, Leo Varadkar was snapped enjoying a picnic in a park. The tasteless photos of him laughing and joking have left a bad taste in the mouths of the public.

It's perplexing how a supposedly media-savvy politician such as the Irish caretaker prime minister, or taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has such an unfortunate propensity of putting his proverbial foot in it.

In his short tenure as leader, Varadkar has suffered more hiccups than a drunken sailor on shore leave. And that's despite setting up a new government strategic communications unit and spending "more than 126 times the amount" on advertising and marketing than his predecessor during his first year in office alone.

Just one example of how he's nothing short of an international embarrassment: in the fall of 2018, the world's media reported how he wrote a gushing letter on official state notepaper to gay icon Kylie Minogue in a desperate effort to meet her when she was visiting Dublin.
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Star of David

Congress poised to grant Israel its entire military wish list (in the middle of a US health crisis) with no strings attached

Josh Ruebner
Mondoweiss
Wed, 27 May 2020 16:42 UTC
aipac netanyahu
© Haim Zach/GPO
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the 2018 AIPAC policy conference in Washington DC.
Congress is set to pass its most far-reaching bill related to Israel at the height of a national public health emergency.

With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's passage of the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2020 last week, the current Congress is now poised to enact with little transparency its most far-reaching bill related to Israel at the height of a national public health emergency.

According to Lara Friedman, President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), the committee vote took place "without even bothering with a pretense of public discussion" and was especially egregious because the committee voted on a wholly new version of the bill which "was not made public until long after the hearing ended."

The opacity of the committee's vote on the bill was even more shocking considering its importance.

Ostensibly the main purpose of the bill, S.3176, is to codify in law the levels of military aid and funding for missile defense agreed to by the United States and Israel in a 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Comment: To be sure, some of that "aid" will find its way back into congressional pockets:

The power of the Israel Lobby in the US - How many politicians can you buy with $6.3billion?

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Gold Coins

China aims to launch digital yuan by 2022 Winter Olympics

Issaku Harada
Nikkei Asian Review
Wed, 27 May 2020 16:00 UTC
2022 Winter Olympics
© International Olympic Committee
An ice rink for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
China seeks to have its planned sovereign digital currency ready in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics here, the central bank revealed Tuesday, as the coronavirus pandemic accelerates a shift away from cash.

The government plans to run pilot tests at Olympic venues, though there remains no official timetable for a release, People's Bank of China Gov. Yi Gang told Chinese media in an interview released by the central bank. Limited trials are underway in Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chengdu and the Xiongan New Area in the northern province of Hebei, he said.

If the government is satisfied with the results of this year's tests, the currency "will be issued next year," said a member of the State Council, China's cabinet, with knowledge of the project. "If it's not satisfied, more tests will be conducted next year."

Comment: Looks like the fake pandemic is paving the way for long desired controls over how people spend their money or if they can spend their money at all.

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Footprints

Trump: 'I have no target date.' Bring US troops home from Afghanistan 'as soon as is reasonable'


Sputnik
Tue, 26 May 2020 21:25 UTC
TrumpTroops
© unknown
President Trump and the US Military
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he has no target for when US troops in Afghanistan should return home and that troop withdrawal should occur "as soon as is reasonable."

The US president noted that while he desires a full military withdrawal from Afghanistan, he has not yet set a target date. Trump told a White House news conference:
"We're not acting as soldiers, we're acting as police, and we're not sent over there to be policemen. But we're there 19 years, and I think that's enough. We want to bring our soldiers back home ... we can always go back if we have to. If we have to go back, we'll go back raging, and they [the soldiers] will go back as warriors, fighters, but right now we're policing, and we're not meant to be police force."
When asked if the US Thanksgiving holiday on November 26 was a target date, Trump responded:
"No, I have no target. [US troops will return] as soon as is reasonable. Over a period of time, but as soon as reasonable. We're down to 7,000-some-odd soldiers right now, and in Iraq, we're down to 4,000 soldiers. So we're making a lot of progress."
Senior US military officials are expected to discuss options for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan with Trump over the next few days. Complete withdrawal of troops could occur as early as before the November presidential election, officials familiar with the matter told the New York Times this week.
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